A bone biopsy can help doctors to determine which antibiotic it is better to use in the treatment of diabetic patients with serious feet infections, according to findings published in the Diabetes Care magazine.
This approach can help patients avoid surgery.
Due to circulatory problems and a decrease in nerve sensitivity, diabetics have an increased risk of developing foot injuries.
What begins as a simple blister can quickly become a serious skin infection, including a guy that extends to the bone, known as osteomyelitis.
"The doubt between surgical treatment or not in diabetic patients with standing osteomyelitis is still a debate," wrote Dr. Eric Senneville, of the Dron Hospital, in France.
It used to think that these infections could not be treated successfully without removing a part of the infected bone.
In the present study, the authors reviewed the medical stories of 50 diabetic patients who were treated without osteomyelitis surgery of various bones of the foot in nine French diabetic foot -footing centers.
Among the various addressed issues was if a bone biopsy was better than a simple skin sample with hyssop to determine the best antibiotic to combat the infection.
On average, the study subjects were 62 years old and were diabetic for approximately 16 years.
The average wound duration was 20 weeks and antibiotic treatment, 11.5 weeks.
In total, 22 patients (44 percent) were subjected to bone biopsy treatment and 28 (56 percent) received therapy based on sampling by Hiopus.
Success was defined as the absence of any sign of infection on the original site or in a next place at least one year after the end of treatment.
After an average follow -up of 12.8 months, it was successful in 18 patients (81.8 percent) treated, according to bone crop results, and in 14 patients (50 percent) with therapy based on taking from takingSamples by Hiopus, researchers reported.
"Our results provide arguments in favor of recommending the use of bone biopsy in diabetic patients treated not surgically by foot osteomyelitis," the equipment concluded.
Source: Diabetes Care, April 2008
